Abstract
M81 and NGC 4579 are two of the few low-luminosity active galactic nuclei that have an estimated mass for the central black hole, detected hard X-ray emission, and detected optical/UV emission. In contrast to the canonical "big blue bump," both have optical/UV spectra that decrease with increasing frequency in a vLv plot. Barring significant reddening by dust and/or large errors in the black hole mass estimates, the optical/UV spectra of these systems require that the inner edge of a geometrically thin, optically thick accretion disk lies at ∼100 Schwarzschild radii. The observed X-ray radiation can be explained by an optically thin, two-temperature, advection-dominated accretion flow at smaller radii.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | L89-L92 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
| Volume | 525 |
| Issue number | 2 PART 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 10 1999 |
| Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
Keywords
- Accretion, accretion disks
- Black hole physics
- Galaxies: individual (M81, NGC 4579)